The Last of the Thunder Demons
by NeirahIgarashi
Summary: A romantic one-shot of an alternate rendition of my Feudal rewrite where the series ends before it begins. Instead of Neirah moving on to become a wolf demon; she never get's a chance to meet her future mate. A humbling and less dark way of viewing Hiten's character as he takes her for his own. Note please here that in all my writings, Manten and Hiten are NEVER blood brothers.


**The Last of the Thunder Demons**

He couldn't catch his breath, no matter how hard he tried. Lightning crashed in the valley around them, the thunder rolling in the mountains still not loud enough to drown out his racing heartbeat. "Brother Hiten... You killed him." Hiten snapped back to reality with his adopted brother's words, shaking his head and prying his gaze from InuYasha's motionless body.

"Of course I fucking killed him!" Hiten spat aggressively. When he had distracted himself with the woman the half-breed had toted around with him, he thought he was in danger of losing. But now, as he watched the earth color with his blood, he knew it was over before it even started. He closed his eyes for a minute to gather his thoughts, silently mocking his deceased opponent in triumph. He sucked back a hard breath and let his furious crimson gaze flash open; darting it swiftly to where the woman waited for him, wide-eyed and slack jawed, on the mountain ledge.

"Neirah! Neirah, come on snap out of it!" Shippo cried weakly, tears streaming down his face. "We've got to get out of here!" He pushed against her leg as hard as he could trying to get her to move, to respond even in the slightest to his encouragement. "Neirah please...! He'll kill us!"

She could hear him, every word the frightened child cried at her feet, but no matter how much she wanted to scream in terror and retreat; she couldn't force her body to move. InuYasha was gone and the demented demon brother desecrating his corpse was doing a good job at reminding her of that. Her eyes widened; where was the older brother, Hiten!? Her heart raced and before she realized it, Shippo had silenced at her feet. Tears rolled over her cheeks as she stared into the dead of the valley, helpless to retreat. She could feel his heavy breath on her nape but her paralysis kept her from turning; kept her from running. Then, the most unexpected of events occurred. In a tone whisper soft and sinister, her own voice spoke in her ear. "It's my turn..."

"Like what you see, pet?" His bitter hiss was dark as he spoke his words against her neck and she was beginning to feel the heat of his body against her with his nearness. Neirah's heart sank and she wasn't sure if she was happier to hear his voice rather than her own or not. "Take a good look..." He mused in a rough whisper. "This is all you're going to see for a very long time..."

.

Her vision was hazy as she opened her eyes, her wrists bound high above her head. Her body ached from kneeling for so long unconsciously; how long had she been out? She flinched with the crack of thunder outside the castle and closed her eyes once more with the strain on her tired muscles. Her ears rang with the sound of Manten's voice echoing through the empty, hollowed walls. "Brother! She's awake! The human wench has awakened!" Her breathing caught, but she was too weak to struggle or cry out with her fear. It wasn't long before Hiten had silenced his wailing brother and found his way to the doorway that led to the room where she had been kept.

Hiten slowly stepped into the room; his armour removed and shirt gaping in the front. It had been days since she had last eaten or drank and her throat was too dry to even offer a whimper in protest as he knelt in front of her. For a long moment, he just stared at her and she became all too aware of her naked flesh against the cold hard floor. To her surprise though, it wasn't her body that drew his attention in even the slightest; he wouldn't cut his gaze from her eyes. She turned away spitefully and closed her eyes; she hated him and everything he stood for. Now InuYasha was dead and there was no one to protect her in this crazy world, she was all alone. Tears rolled down her eyes in rage and terror, why had this happened to her?

He wasn't surprised when she forced her empty gaze to divert from his. Instead of backhanding her hard to wipe away traces of her defiant expression; he slowly reminded himself why she was there. He reached out and took her chin in his hand, drawing it away from where she had buried it in her shoulder. He tipped her head back so that her denied gaze would look upon him and although he was growing desperately impatient, he tried to refrain from raising his voice to her. "Look at me..." He offered in slight demand. "Before I have my brother come over to loosen your tongue." His heart raced anxiously as she shuddered against his touch in disgust before slowly obeying. He ignored his brother's unimpressed bickering with the threat but to the innocence of a beautiful maiden, his brother was the worst possible nightmare. He let his thumb slide over her cheek to catch her tears, carefully searching her gaze behind the silent cries welling behind her desperate expression. She was still human.

He slowly advanced on her now, careful not to startle her into defiance that would lead to his impatient rage getting the best of him. He gently slipped his palm around the back of her neck and laced his fingers in the roots of her hair, drawing his lips to her ear to whisper darkly against her. "I know you can hear me, Firecat..." Neirah's eyes widened, glazing unresponsively as she stared into the opened doorway passed Manten. "I'm going to set you free..." Manten's eyes widened as he overheard the whispering of his brother.

"B-but brother Hiten!" He squeaked uncertainly. "Surely you don't mean to kill the wench." Hiten's gaze darkened as he stared into the wall behind Neirah's suspended wrists.

"What I mean to do... is none of your business..." He growled impatiently as he eased away from her neck. She was unconscious again and he knew the demon was fighting to break free. It would only be a matter of time now.

"But it's not fair!" Manten argued bitterly. "I found her and brought her here! I want claim to her." Hiten's crimson gaze flashed furiously as he cut it to where his brother was already regretting his remarks.

"That was your first mistake." He snapped predatorily. "If you hadn't of brought her here I never would have known she existed. So, in a way I should be thanking you, which is the only reason why your blood doesn't spill alongside the _other_ half-breed!" Manten winced and recoiled with Hiten's dig. Manten wasn't a pure blooded thunder demon and he hated to be reminded as such. "Try not to be so simple. I'm not going to fucking kill her." He turned back to Neirah and tugged at the silken strands of hair that had clung to her perspiration coated flesh. His expression grew heavy and sated with the wandering of his thoughts. "I'm going to change her..." Manten's eyes grew wide in astonishment.

"I thought that was impossible?!" He gasped softly, slowly approaching where Hiten sat with the woman. Hiten remained entranced with her delicate features as he slid his fingers gently over the curve of her throat.

"That's because most mortals are incapable of surviving such a transformation." Manten watched his brother work methodically and had to restrain his need to beg Hiten for possession of the woman's flesh. When his mind was set on something, there was no use fighting him; unless one fancied becoming a pile of ash at his feet. "Generally, such a task is only attempted by half breeds or pure bloods deemed undesirable by another pure blooded mate." He shot his whimpering brother an amused glace. "Let this be a lesson to you."

"But brother you are plenty desirable by demon women. Many of them would be far more suitable and that way you don't risk the disappointment of failure." Hiten's expression darkened as his finger traced her lips.

"I am the last pure blooded thunder demon Manten..." He managed, retaining his complacency. "There are no women that share in the bloodline so the moment I reach out to another; I've tainted what little of my legacy remains." Manten bit his tongue and resisted the urge to mention that if Hiten hadn't killed the remainder of the others, there would still be_ women_. "This woman has a demon soul Manten... I know it..." His body tightened with his hunger as he slowly moved away from the woman. "She can survive this... so long as I don't fuck it up..."

"So you mean to keep her then…?" Manten inquired loosely, hoping that it would be for no more than a broodmare. Hiten's gaze darkened as he shifted his narrowing, serpent like eyes towards him in disgust.

"Yes _I_ intend to and you'll pay with your life if you so much as look at her in the wrong manor." He hissed defensively. Something about this woman had stolen his sanity beyond comprehension and every part of him ached to have her; he needed to have her. He turned back to the woman and let his gaze darken in determination. "Manten, leave me with her…" He demanded shortly.

"I weh- Yes brother…" He bowed his head like a henchmen and slunk from the room, leaving Hiten alone with his prize. He let a moment of weakness steal his actions as he reached out and held her face in both hands, staring into her disturbed, pained expression as she rested.

"Wake up for me, Firecat…" He whispered desperately. "I need to know you're still in there…" *_"How do you know what I want...?" he growled. Hiten fed off of Neirah's pain and uncertainty. The more she resisted, the more he wanted her and he became infatuated with her constant struggle for control. Even though he loathed humans... No. He wasn't even sure that this woman was human. He wanted to believe that she was – it would make her easier to kill. Something deep inside him knew that the human that was before him, was dying. There was something else inside her; something stronger and darker... His whole body tensed with the need to see it again; that look in her eyes, the demon inside._

_Before he realised what was happening, Neirah had stopped resisting him. On top of that, she was kissing him back. His heart sank and his grip on her loosened. He slowly began to realise that it wasn't a human that he was kissing – it was a demon. For a moment he let himself enjoy the pleasure of her embrace and the overwhelming peace he found with her against him. She reached through his weakened grasp and ran her fingers gently over his bare arm. He all but growled as her finger nails dug into his flesh and held him tight against her. He reached around and grabbed a tight hold of her, tangling his fingers in her hair aggressively. He shuddered as she purred softly against his lips. 'She had better enjoy it. I'll be the last man to ever taste her kiss.' His arms tensed around her possessively. If he satisfied his need for her maybe he wouldn't regret her untimely death. 'The last moments of your life belong to me, Firecat. You're mine...'_*

His heart sank as she stirred; gently whimpering with the pain of the uncomfortable position she had been locked in. He quickly raised his hand to her bind, watching it tremble as his heart began to race hard in his chest. He kept a sharp eye on her expression, waiting to see it… to see her. *_"I don't believe that for a second..." She lowered her voice and put as much venom into it as she could muster while she trembled in his wake. She dropped her head and her expression darkened. "You may not fear your enemies, or even fear death, Hiten." He glared at her as the desire to kill her intensified. Why was he hesitating? What did her words, those of a human wench, mean to him? No – it wasn't the words of a human wench that he hesitated to ignore. The words were from her soul, a soul that wasn't human at all. "Admit it; the reason that you can't kill me isn't because of your fear of me, but of the feelings that you have for a _human_!"_* No… He had no attachment to a human in anyway. His deeper feelings of need ached for the presence trapped in the human's flesh, beneath its frail existence a demon soul waited to thrive in a world ruled by other demons.

"Take it…" He encouraged softly as she shifted weakly beneath him. "It's yours, Firecat… This life…" His breathing hitched as she stilled beneath him and for a moment he wondered if the human was waking in his arms once more. A low, possessive growl rose in his throat. "Come back to me, pet… I won't let her hold you back anymore…" His grip on the chains restraining her grew fiercely tight as she started to fade once more. "No…" He murmured haggardly through grit teeth. "I won't let her hold you!"

He winced with the snap of the chains beneath his palm as he released her arms and let them fall down around his neck. Before too much thought went into his actions, his lips were against hers. He held her body tight to his chest with one arm while the other found the back of her head to hold her steady as he waited for her to wake up. His heart raced the moment he heard her gasp for breath like she had just surfaced from underwater, but rather than releasing her, he indulged guiltily; free from his minion's prying eyes. He ignored her desperate whimper when he took her gasping invitation as an opportunity to slide his tongue between her parted lips. It was just like the first time he'd kissed her except this time, he didn't want it to end.

His breath came heavy and forced as he pulled away from her incredibly slowly. He kept his gaze heavy and lowered as he processed the reality of his actions; guilt stinging his pride. "Please tell me... that I didn't just openly indulge... in a mortal's company." His eyes widened with the gentle sound of her soft laugh near his ear before he had the courage to turn and face her.

"Hiten..." She whispered softly. A smile was moments from crossing his warming features before he watched her darkening, ocean blue gaze shift with hurt in her expression. "You tried... to kill me..." His heart sank as he stroked her hair out of her face.

"I was afraid." He retorted quickly. "I didn't know whether you were a human or..."

"But now... you know..." She encouraged hoarsely, desperately fighting her human presence as it stirred within her. He nodded softly. "How long have I weakened…?"

"She's been detained for days… I knew once she'd grown weary she would rely on your ambition to keep the host body alive…" Neirah raised one eyebrow weakly and took in his casually knowledgeable expression.

"You know much of our situation…" She murmured softly, her dust and tear stained features softening. She worked to steady her thoughts as the silence between them grew longer, allowing her to watch the crimson reflect in the white light of the lightning strikes filtering through the cracks in the old castle walls.

"I'm going to free you, Firecat..." He whispered gently in determination, delighting in the feeling of her skin warm against his palm. "I want you by my side..."

"And what of my desires?" She purred lowly. "Who's to say... that I won't kill you once you've freed me...?" Her voice cracked as she weakened again in his arms; he didn't have much time.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take..." She smiled hopefully up at him, straining lightly against her binds. "But not here... Not like this..." He managed roughly, growing impatient now that he finally held her against him. He slowly slipped her arms from around his neck and laid them in her lap. "I'll be back." He whispered softly against her lips. He cut his gaze from her soft pout to the light of the demon flame dancing behind her crystallizing sapphire blue eyes. "Wait for me...?" She nodded softly with a vacant smile in acknowledgement of his suggestion.

"Don't be long." She murmured back against him gratefully. He flinched unexpectedly before approaching like he was about to kiss her, before hissing impatiently and pulling hastily back. If he wanted her, he'd need to wait just a bit longer. He dragged himself away and made his way out of the room, pausing to glare at his eavesdropping brother a moment before flexing his hand in warning, taking off down the hall with a hasty stride. He didn't take the time to realize before how sweaty he'd become waiting to see her emerge but now, as he watched the dim candlelight dance over his glistening flesh, he wished that he hadn't gotten himself so worked up. Something was rousing inside him that hadn't stirred in a very long time and he wasn't sure how comfortable he was with its awakened presence. He let his shirt gape open in the front as he wrapped his hand around the ornate dagger he kept on his belt. It was his mother's once... and all she'd used to try and save him from his father's wrath; the dagger that turned her. He closed his eyes, sighed softly and meditated on his thoughts for a brief moment; he had spent the last few hours sharpening it precisely in wait. He carefully watched the lightning flash through cracks of the worn ruins that had used to be a great castle. He had one shot...

He wasn't surprised when his treacherous brother was not as he left him when he returned. As he rounded the corner and stormed into Neirah's room, he came in on the sight of his advancement. Neirah cried out with the flashing of Hiten's gaze as he slammed his subordinate up against the cracked, weathered walls of the castle with a dagger held to his thick throat. "I told you to stay the fuck away..." He sneered furiously.

"P-please brother! It's not as it seems. You left the wench unbound! She may have escaped!" Hiten roared furiously and cast his brother to the floor outside the room; keeping his dagger pointed towards him in warning as Manten scrambled to his feet.

"You're lucky that your blood isn't worthy of touching this blade!" He hissed, watching in disgust as Manten cowered at his feet. "If I catch you at her door again, it will be the last time. As a result, it will be Raigekijin tasting your flesh!" Manten scrambled to his feet and took off down the hall in terror. Hiten took a moment to realize that his hand was shaking in the fury that had stole him with the thought of such a creature laying a hand on his woman. His; his woman...

He moved to Neirah's side before reaching down to break the cuffs away from her wrists; Manten had had the key and he didn't expect to be seeing him for the remainder of the night. He slowly scooped the frightened creature up in a blanket in his arms as she trembled, looking down at her sternly, his body still burning with the fury of his brother's incompetence. "Did he touch you?" He asked coldly, pausing where he held her to wait for an answer. She softly shook her head, wavering gently in her fear. He sighed in relief and started forwards. "Soon pet... Soon you'll have all you need to banish him yourself."

He loved the way her head felt resting peacefully against his chest. Her presence stoked a desperate need inside him to protect her, to make her his; his demon. It seemed like a lifetime he spent walking down the castle halls before he finally came to his chambers. It was the room that his father and mother had shared and although it was scared from the fires that claimed the castle's life, it was the most comfortable room in the dingy building; also currently the warmest with the glow of the half extinguished candles. She would be warmer, comfortable in the moments to come and Manten was sure not to disturb them there.

He set her down on the blankets laid out in the room, despite them being the place that he slept. He'd risk a lot more if it meant her life... If she died in his arms tonight; she would sure as hell die comfortably. She looked up at him in confusion, still in the dark as to her situation. His throat worked as he looked back into her wavering expression for a moment before he reached up and gently stroked the side of her face. "I need you to trust me, pet..." He whispered lowly as he scanned her soft, candle lit features. He almost smiled with the realization of her distraction now that she'd seen what was beneath his armor. He tried to remain in control as her fingers gently brushed against his bare chest, sighing softly as he pulled her into him. "It's like a sickness..." He murmured softly against her ear. "Forcing demon blood into your system will change you, make you stronger..." He could feel her shutter uncertainly against him as he spoke. "It has to start in your heart... so that your heart becomes strong enough to spread blood through the remainder of your system. The demon blood will destroy the mortal from inside you, altering it. Just as in our factual world, demon will seek out and destroy human to grow stronger." He sighed softly and let his fingers work in her hair. "Your organs will strengthen... your blood will thicken... It's going to hurt like hell, pet... And if you survive..." He swallowed hard as he divulged and closed his eyes; he could feel her tears of worry hot on his chest. "You'll be free..." He whispered softly against the top of her head.

"You're going to make it, Firecat..." He added in encouragement, reminiscing in the stories that were fogging in and out of his adult comprehension; stories he hadn't heard since he was a child. When he pulled away from her, his expression darkened in panic; she was losing her strength. "That_ is_ what you want, right?" He asked hurriedly, unsure of what to do next. His heart sank as she smiled softly up at him and nodded as if her answer would have swayed his egotistic ambitions. The human body was dying around her, she needed to thrive; she needed this as much as he did. He smiled softly in acknowledgement and pressed his chest against hers, leaning his chin on her shoulder before gently kissing her neck with his growing affection for the brave soul wasted inside the prison of the dying flesh encasing it. "Then hang onto me, pet..."

He flexed his fingers, working the circulation strong in his hand behind her back as he clutched her. She was shivering and no doubt wondering how he intended on having demon blood touch her heart before any other organ. He closed his eyes and laid his mother's dagger along his palm, sighing deeply to catch his breath. He tried to restrain his pained grunt as he swiftly drew back his blade and sliced deeply into his palm. The wound took a few moments to start bleeding with the precision of the blade but when it did, the effects were heavy. His breathing hitched as he coated the blade with his own blood and after he was satisfied with the amount raised, he pulled away from her and looked down into the flames burning behind her determined demon eyes. "Stay with me, Firecat..." He managed softly, his ears ringing with the whispers of words long lost but never forgotten. _*"You're father spoke the word's softly against me, reassuring me of the uncertainty weighing heavy in my broken heart."*_ "To thrive, you must wither like the flower that shares your beauty… To live… you must die… before you can come back to me…" He dipped down and pressed his lips to hers, forcing himself not to deepen a kiss that wasn't going to last; even as she whimpered uncertainly with his words. Despite the ringing of the words he spoke through his father's voice, he spoke his final warning under his breath in a hoarse and hesitant whisper against her breathlessly parted lips. "… my equal…"

He watched her expression waver as she cried out in pain and fear the moment his blade pierced her flesh beneath her breast. The color flushed from her tan features as she tensed and clung desperately to where Hiten remained close to her, holding tightly onto her suffering figure. His brows furrowed in concern as she sealed her eyes tight and screamed with the pain that stole her body when his blade pierced her heart; tipping her chin to her breast in distress as she recoiled in his lap. When he felt the job had been accomplished, he swiftly removed the dagger from under her naked breast and threw it to the side; holding her tight against him to prevent her from throwing his embrace aside in her subconscious fit of suffering. The sound of his blade clattering against the floor boards fell on deaf ears as he listened to her wails of agony. Her fists gripped tight in his shirt as her body racked against him; forcing her to shudder despite her obvious weakness. "Shh... Firecat..." He whispered against her collar, trying to hold her still. "The more you struggle, the longer this is going to take." Neirah lurched forwards and cried out, gripping at her chest as the pain burned inside her; her fingers sinking into her breast. He wrapped his arms tight around her to subdue her and keep her from struggling too fiercely. "I'm sorry, pet..." He murmured softly. "It's the only way I knew how..."

He let his lips press against her neck before softly kissing her where he felt the strong pulse of her blood moving through her body. She shuddered and reached out to grip his arm, sinking her little nails into his shoulder as she whined; making him grateful that claws weren't in his blood. He was growing impatient as she writhed in pain and the thought crossed his mind of easing her suffering. 'No... You can't die... I won't let you.' He drew a deep, unsteady breath as he parted his lips to taste her flesh. "I have to know..." He murmured softly against her neck. The moment his canines broke her skin, he knew she'd survive. She was changing, her heartbeat was strong and above all else, she had stopped crying out before him. Her blood had indeed thickened and her cries silenced to offer him stifled grunts of tenderness. Her body was starting to heal itself, regenerating the damage done by his dagger. His breathless whisper barely escaped him as he reveled in his success. "Firecat…" A wickedly sated grin curled his lips. "My… Firecat…"

As he pulled away from her neck, her hand had found its way to the back of his head to hold him firmly in place with a strength that posed genuine resistance to his advancement. A soft groan met his lips with the display of her efforts. "What do you want, pet...?" He whispered softly against her, now sensitive, demon ears. He gently moved his hand to her reddened flesh as the cartilage expanded and her ears reshaped; stroking it gently between his fingers. He delighted in his triumph as a shiver stole her spine rather than a painful shudder.

"Stay..." She begged softly, her body arching into his. She whined hungrily as he raised his lips to her ear and gently sucked on the tender flesh that had curled into a point. Her breathless whimpers had him aching beneath her as she sunk her nails into his shoulders. He could feel the anxious bite of static through his shirt as it crawled over her fingertips; his heart racing with the gentle burn.

'It's working...' A low, hungry growl rose in his chest as she tipped her head back to moan; revealing extending canines in her mouth followed by light trails of blood from where they had emerged.

She started to wreath again and he wasn't quite sure whether it was caused by the pain of her transformation or something more pleasurable. He didn't expect that he would grow any more attracted to her, but as the guilt of his actions causing her suffering faded, he did. When she threw her head back, he took the opportunity to check her wound; the one he had given her to start her transformation. He ran his tongue along the curve on the underside of her breast where the knife had pierced her flesh. He tasted a light trail of their blood combined but delighted in the soft, smooth surface of her now healed flesh. He heard her gasp softly as she recoiled to straighten in his lap and he moved away from her chest. For the first time since she'd closed her eyes, she had opened them to reveal that they too had been changed. Finally, she looked back at him through clear blue sapphire eyes, shimmering like diamonds full of renewed life as she escaped the mortal binds that had retained her spirit for far too long.

"What does it taste like...?" She whispered softly against his lips as he neared her. His guilt immediately returned with such an inquiry. He had an unquenchable blood lust, and insatiable desire to cause suffering; to suffer. He could only imagine that by being birthed of his blood, she would pick up some of his personality quirks; a realization that he wasn't sure was more terrifying or exciting. His throat was dry and his tone grew uneven as he tried to keep himself grounded in a moment so surreal he wanted to surrender to his darker desires. His throat worked anxiously before he ran his tongue over the curves of his lips to catch the remainder of her blood that no doubt remained present on his lips. He spoke softly, his voice unlike his own behind the lusting rasp of his desire.

"Sweet..." He managed roughly, immediately clearing his throat of his desire. His heavy lidded gaze lingered on hers, desperate to give in to her in her found strength. "Like spring water and sulfur... I would imagine…" He purred lightly, finally breaking her mesmeric gaze. "Thick like honey and laced with traces of salt from the taste of wanting flesh..." He shifted his gaze back to hers from where he leaned his head on her shoulder, an amused grin on his lips as he fantasized. "But that's demon blood. A taste I've acquired over many years... It's far more satisfying than that of mortals."

"What does... _mine_... taste like...?" She murmured softly in inquiry, testing the point of her canines from where they emerged from her swollen gums as she dragged her teeth back over her lips; that had been drying with her heavy breaths.

"Like mine..." He whispered gently against her lips. She let her gaze meet his once more, her senses too numb from her suffering to appreciate his take on the matter as her blood leaked down her throat; underappreciated in comparison to his obvious admiration of the taste.

"We share it...?" He gently brushed the back of his fingers against her jaw line before tugging lightly on the roots of her hair, tipping her head back to subdue her in his hold.

"Does that disturb you?" He teased softly, placing gentle kisses beneath her chin. "Consider this my apology for almost ending your life before it ever started." Her gaze flashed darkly even though he had diverted it to the ceiling when he tipped her head back.

"So what does that make me?" Her voice was steady and filled with warning as she continued, hurt rising in her eyes as she fought the pain of realisation. "A subordinate vessel to carry out your will?" A low growl rose in his throat as he tasted her flesh, free from the guilt of his desire for her.

"No..." He rumbled darkly, adjusting his gaze once more to meet hers. He took in her uncertain expression as he stared back at her before he slowly eased his grip on the back of her neck to slip his hand between her shoulder blades. He shifted, slowly moving into her, until he could gently ease her back against his bed. He paused for a moment when her head laid among the blankets, her hair splayed wildly around her shoulders behind her. He tilted his head to one side in observance of her gentle features as he softly tugged a tousled strand of her hair from her face. "You'll be my queen..." He whispered softly in adoration, letting his thumb catch her jaw line before easing back towards her brow. Her breath caught uncertainly as she watched him with skepticism in her wanting eyes.

"And if... I should refuse...?" She offered softly, trying to remain impartial to his embrace. Her throat worked with the swell of fear that stung her senses as his darkening crimson gaze cut to hers expectantly.

"I'm not giving you a choice..." He whispered softly from where he leaned above her. He enjoyed the shudder that stole her with her uncertainty as he let his index finger trail lazily between her breasts and down over her lean curves. He laid his head on her chest and let his fingers trace lazy circles around her throat. "You're precious to me, Firecat..." He whispered softly. "I knew it from the start that you were special... At first, I was afraid of my attraction to you; uncertain of your existence behind a mortal's eye. Above everything, I wanted you... Even in your mortal flesh I would have kept you all the same… a pretty little pet…" He sighed softly with his wandering thoughts as he relinquished his barriers for her to witness. "You just wouldn't be fit to carry my blood..." He cut his gaze from his finger working her flesh back to her doubtful expression. "But now..."

"Is that all I amount to now...?" She whispered apprehensively, trembling beneath him. "Call me your queen when all I'm to do is bear you heirs..." Her words choked through her hurt in the moment she spoke them when she felt the reassuring pressure of his hand on the side of her face.

"Perhaps... in time you may..." He purred softly, careful not to deny the thought as he brushed his lips against hers. "It seems silly to refer to the thought of my children as heirs, because they will inherit nothing..." He looked up into her eyes solemnly as he brushed his thumb over the gentle swell of her cheek. "I have nothing... I am… nothing." He whispered softly. Neirah's breath caught with his humbling statement and she slowly shifted beneath him. He moved away from her and sat back on his knees, keeping his hot crimson gaze on hers. "All I am... is what you see here..." He spread his arms wide and shifted his gaze around the room. "These devastated walls and the dry lands of the abandoned valley kissed by fire and rage... I refuse to leave them; they're all that remain of what home I once knew..." He rumbled solemnly, turning his gaze back to her. He lowered his arms at his sides with a soft sigh. "I am the last of a line that could end with my life... My father may have been a ruler; a god in some demon's eyes... But to me? All he is… is a hole in my chest where I once felt the beat of a heart."

Neirah slowly rose in his bed, unaffected by her conscience as she remained bare in his presence. He gently shook his head feeling an almost overwhelming sense of relief as he confessed his subconscious uncertainties in her presence. "He destroyed us..." He murmured softly. "And everything I once knew..." He looked up at Neirah from behind dark bangs as she sat with him in mourning. "I'm broken... I can't change what I am..." He whispered breathlessly before her. "But I can change... what I become..."

"And you believe that I can help you become a king?" She murmured in uncertainty. He slowly shook his head.

"No..." He denied gently, reaching out to her face once more. He shifted his direction before his fingertips met their mark and reached for her hand, gently taking it in his before guiding it to rest on his chest beneath the open front of his shirt. "But I believe you can help me find something to fill that hole..."

Her lips parted breathlessly as she took in his confession. Why was it so hard to believe that he only wanted someone, something, to care about after spending the better part of his life misunderstood and alone? She had spent a lot of time behind the eyes of a mortal and although she didn't quite understand much of either world, human men and demon men didn't seem to differ all too much… She let her second hand join her first on his chest and slowly eased the material of his shirt over his shoulders. He watched her suspiciously, his arms tense and falling behind where he watched her lean into his chest. She let her lips press lightly against his broad chest before moving them against his as she spoke. "How can you be so dark… as to kill in cold blood… and still manage to say things like this…?" She murmured softly against him. A sly grin curled his lips as he reached out and laced his fingers in her long, golden-brown hair.

"I have some… anger issues, if you will…" He rumbled lightly in amusement. Neirah laughed out loud this time with his words before wincing lightly in pain from her transformation.

"Well… you did say that I didn't have a choice…" She mused darkly, moulding into his embrace. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Is that a confession of your submission?" He teased anxiously, his fingers flexing in her hair.

Her gaze flashed darkly and a sly grin found her lips, tugging them anxiously to reveal the bashful flash of a single sharp canine. "I've spent my entire life in submission, Hiten..." She purred lightly against him. He couldn't decide whether it was fury or lust that rose within him as she took a hold of his braid and jerked his head back impatiently. "I'm not fond of returning to such a state..." She whispered dangerously along his jaw line. He winced as she buckled his arm beneath him and threw him back against the blankets beneath her before he had the chance to process her display of aggression. He shifted beneath her, his expression darkening slyly as he flexed his wrists beneath where she held them down; her lean thighs shifting to straddle his hips. He rolled his head to one side, peeking up at her slyly as his fingertips found the flesh at her hips.

"That's cute…" He rumbled lowly. "You're under the misplaced impression that I'm giving you the choice… _again_…" Neirah whimpered softly as she tried to comprehend the incredibly quick speed he used in flipping her onto her back beneath him. She felt an insatiable desire surfacing within her as the heat in her cheeks undoubtedly revealed a light dusting of pink in her flesh that was warming once again as it healed. She raised one of her hands to detour him as he advanced on her, despite her need for his companionship growing noticeable in the way her body submitted to him; her toes brushing against his knee as she rested her thigh along his side. A gentle sigh escaped her lips, though she fought to deny it, and her lips parted as he drew nearer.

"You're naïve to think that I can't force your hand…" He growled lightly, dragging his fingertips up her raised thigh. "I think you have misplaced confidence in your release… Your new found strength…" Neirah recoiled softly as his breath met her neck bellow her jaw line and she instinctively tilted her head back to offer him more of her flesh. She let her eyes drift shut to enjoy his breath against her for a moment longer before the spark of defiance ignited inside her once more and she threw her hand out towards him to detour his advance; determined to take control of her fate. A breathless gasp escaped her when he captured her hand mid strike with strikingly quick reflexes; lean strands of electricity crawling over his fingertips against her. She moaned lightly as he slipped his fingers between hers and gently pressed her hand back alongside her head against the blankets; the tingling of his weight on her hand exhilarating as he held it possessively in his strong grasp. "You can fight me when your body has strengthened completely from your transformation…" He rumbled hoarsely against her collar, placing hard kisses along her soft skin. "When your passion has the strength to thrill me…" He raised his head to look down on her lusting gaze as she wreathed hot and wanting beneath him. "For now… I see fit to take advantage of your weakness, Firecat; all you need to do is enjoy it…" He hissed slyly against her anxiously, dampened lips.

His breathing hitched with the flash of challenge in her gaze and he recoiled in surprise with the sparks that crawled up his forearm and stung his wrist as it held her hand tight in his. Neirah's eyelids fell heavily stated as a tantalizing grin revealed her beautiful smile to his curious gaze. Before he could comprehend her determined and playful cries she had lunged towards him; his hand still tight in her own as she drew it between their chests. She hitched one of her thighs up around his hips to steady her as she drew her free hand forwards and pressed his own dagger against the gentle swell of his throat. She sighed deeply and let her lips brush along his jaw line seductively as she grew nearer to his ear; capturing the long golden tassel of his earring between her teeth. She purred lightly against him as his throat worked beneath the blade. "To thrive, you must wither like the flower that shares your beauty…" She began to repeat before him sweetly. "To live you must die before you can come back to me…" Her whisper was dark and seductive as she breathed her words into his ear; his eyes drifting shut with his sedation as he reveled in the exhilaration coursing through him with her determination. He groaned softly as she pressed the flat of the blade against his jaw to guide his head to one side; the tip of his blade sinking into his cheek with the gentle force she'd used to embrace his submission to her will, raising a small bead of his blood on his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes, ever so slightly, as the bead of his blood released and rolled over the curve of his face the moment he joined his burning crimson gaze with her deep blue one. She spoke her final lusting, words breathlessly against his lips in warning. "My _equal_…"


End file.
